Living in New York City and working at a coffee shop, I had plenty of encounters with The Struggling Actor™. They were the brooding customer drinking their black espresso or the coworker carefully explaining to me how they were developing their newest character for an audition. Point is, before the flashing lights of red carpet premieres and multi-million dollar paychecks, A-list actors were just like us, trying to find a job that would fund their next meal and ticket to Hollywood. Sometimes the road to superstardom can be sudden, but that's not the norm. Most of our favorite famous actors has really surprising first roles and sometimes had strange acting jobs for decades after before landing the big gig.

It makes me feel a bit better to know that not everyone was discovered via YouTube video or Vine, and it is hilarious to check out actors' paths to stardom. Just like everyone else, they worked at restaurants and shoe stores and mall kiosks while trying to get their big break and eventually it did happen. Although they finally stepped on a stage or behind a camera, their first roles weren't always that amazing, so here are some super famous actors' first acting jobs that might surprise you.

7. Renée Zellweger — A Taste For Killing

8. Johnny Depp — Nightmare On Elm Street

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Bless the directors who made the decision to put Johnny Depp in a crop top for his first role ever in 1984's A Nightmare on Elm Street. He plays a cool teen named Glen Lantz who gets swallowed up by his bed. Awesome.

9. Megan Fox — Holiday In The Sun

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You can't be a proper '90s kid without watching some of Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen's super hokey movies. One such gem was 2001's Holiday in the Sun, which featured the debut performance of Megan Fox as the mean girl, Brianna Wallace. The acting all around left a lot to be desired, but look where they all are now!

11. Jennifer Aniston — Mac And Me

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I think this is my favorite first role ever. I used to watch Mac and Me religiously as a little kid and totally missed the fact that Rachel Green was dancing her heart out in that infamously odd McDonald's scene. Because McDonald's is the best place to start a dance party..?

15. Julia Roberts — Satisfaction

Years before Britney Spears' Crossroads, Julia Roberts went on a roadtrip with her friends in search of the best summer ever. In 1988, Roberts starred in Satisfaction, which followed three girls in a band on the verge of blowing up and their hijinks along the way.